In the past, various different switching arrangements were utilized in prime movers, such as for instance an electric motor of the split phase type, to control the energization of a winding circuit for the prime mover. In some of these past switching arrangements, a support member was either fixedly attached to a rotatable assembly of the prime mover for conjoint rotation therewith or was attached thereto by suitable means which generally prevented axial movement of the support member while permitting some relative rotational movement within preselected limits. A switch actuator, such as a push collar for instance, was disposed either on a part of the support member or on a part of the rotatable assembly, and the push collar was conjointly rotatable with the support member and also arranged for axial movement relative thereto between an at-rest or standstill position and a displaced or rotatably actuated position. A pair of centrifugal weight members were pivotally interconnected between the support member and the push collar, and a pair of springs were biased between the centrifugal weight members urging them toward their pivotal association with the support member and the push collar. The centrifugal weight members were pivotally operable in response to the rotational speed of the rotatable assembly upon the energization of the winding circuit of the prime mover to drive the push collar axially from its standstill position to its displaced position generally as the rotational assembly attained a preselected or synchronous speed thereof. This axial movement of the push collar was effective to cause the operation of linkage means pivotally mounted on the prime mover and operably associated with the push collar for actuating an electrical switch of the prime mover which controlled the energization of an auxiliary winding means and a main winding means of the prime mover winding circuit. In this manner, the electrical switch was actuated in response to the aforementioned axial movement of the push collar to its displaced position to effect the deenergization of the auxiliary winding means in the winding circuit of the prime mover generally as the rotatable assembly attained its preselected speed, and thereafter the prime mover was energized only in response to the continued energization of the main winding means in the prime mover winding circuit.
At least one of the disadvantageous or undesirable features of these past switching arrangements or centrifugal switch actuating mechanism is believed to be that of a noise problem involved upon the centrifugal operation thereof. In other words, due to the resilient interconnection by the springs of the centrifugal weight members between the support member and the push collars, it is believed that at least some of the past centrifugal switch actuating mechanisms chattered or rattled when they operated in response to the rotational speed of the prime mover rotatable assembly. Of course, this noise problem may have been in part alleviated in other ones of the past centrifugal switch actuating mechanisms wherein the support member and push collar thereof were formed from a resin material with only the centrifugal weight members respectively associated therewith being metallic.